Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to the field of structures and more particularly to easily disassembled, interlocking structures.
The great majority of structures, containers and furniture are interlocked from component parts that are permanently affixed to each other. It was thought that permanent assembly resulted in greater strength and rigidity than containers or furniture capable of disassembly. Generally, manufacturing costs of permanently assembled structures, containers and furniture are less than structures, containers or furniture capable of disassembly. Often, these permanently interlocked structures, containers and furniture are designed for easy assembly by unskilled, inexpensive labor. It is well known in the art to use attachments such as glue, nails, screws, angled metal braces, and the like to permanently affix structures, containers and furniture together.
The permanently assembled structures, containers and furniture are shipped in their assembled to state directly to retailers. These assembled articles takes up a great deal of volume resulting in higher shipping costs. In a collapsed or flattened state, the structures, containers or furniture take up much less volume significantly reducing shipping costs. There are some drawbacks to the collapsible structures, container or furniture such as inferior quality, strength and durability. Another drawback is that the end user assumes the burden of assembly. This usually requires the assembler to possess the necessary tools and the wherewithal to use them to properly assemble the structure.
The prior art lacks a container or furniture shipped in a low volume disassembled state that the eventual user can easily assemble into a sturdy and structure without tools or special skills. The present invention satisfies these requirements, as well as others.
The invention resides in an interlocking structure. It can be shipped in a low volume disassembled state. It is easily interlocked together, without tools or special skills, by the eventual user. The interlocked structure has uncommon rigidity and strength. Containers like dresser drawers, laundry baskets or waste paper baskets, shelters like dog houses and human shelters, or furniture like a portable fireplace can be interlocked together using a plurality of interconnecting rods and hooks
The easily assembled interlocking structure includes at least one rod. The rod has a U-shape with a first end and a second end. The interlocking structure has at least four sides and a bottom. The four sides include a right side, a left side, a front side and a back-side. Each side has four edges. The bottom also has four edges. To connect the four sides together, removeably interlock the edge of each side to the edge of the adjacent side. The bottom side removeably interlocks to at least two of the interlocked sides. A side and the opposite side each have at least one rod receptacle. The interlocking structure of four sides and the bottom is held together by the removeable installation of the first end of the rod into the rod receptacle on the side and the second end of the rod into a rod receptacle on the opposite side.
A variant of this invention is used to construct a waste paper basket and a drawer. All five sides are planar.
The right side has an outwardly cantilevered, hooked-rod extending from its lower front and lower rear corners. It also has a straight-rod-receiving hole in its upper front and upper rear corners.
The left side has an outwardly cantilevered, hooked-rod extending from the lower front and lower rear corners. The left side also has a straight-rod-receiving hole in the upper front and upper rear corners.
The front side has an outwardly cantilevered straight-rod extending from the upper right and upper left corners. Each straight-rod extends outwardly normal to the plane of the front side. The front side has at least one U-shaped rod-receiving hole located along its upper edge. Each U-shaped rod-receiving hole is coplanar to the front side. The front side has at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along its lower edge. Each straight-rod-receiving hole is normal to the plane of the front side. The front side has a hooked-rod receiver in its lower right and lower left corners.
The back-side has an outwardly cantilevered, straight-rod extending from its upper right and upper left corners. Each straight-rod extends normal to the plane of the back-side. The back-side has at least one U-shaped rod-receiving hole located along its upper edge. Each U-shaped rod-receiving hole is coplanar to the back-side. The back-side has at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along its lower edge. Each straight-rod-receiving hole is normal to the plane of the back-side. The back-side has a hooked-rod receiver located in the lower right and lower left corners.
The bottom has at least one cantilevered rod extending forward from the front edge. It also has at least one cantilevered rod extending backward from the back edge. Each cantilevered rod is coplanar to the bottom.
The at least one cantilevered rod extending forward from the bottom is slideably connected into the at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along the lower edge of the front side. The at least one cantilevered rod extending backward from the bottom is slideably connected into the at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along the lower edge of the back-side.
The hooked-rod of the right side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the front side. The hooked-rod of the right side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the back-side. The cantilevered straight-rod of the front side is slideably connected into the straight-rod-receiving hole of the right side. The cantilevered straight-rod of the back-side is slideably connected into the straight-rod-receiving hole of the right side.
The hooked-rod of the left side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the front side. The hooked-rod of the left side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the back-side. The cantilevered straight-rod of the front side is slideably connected into the straight-rod-receiving hole of the left side. The cantilevered straight-rod of the back-side is slideably connected into the straight-rod-receiving hole of the left side.
The rod is slideably connected into the rod-receiving hole of the front side and the rod-receiving hole of the back-side.
In a variant of this invention, each hooked-rod receiver of the front side has a notch and an upright rod receiver hole and each the hooked-rod receiver of the back-side has a notch and an upright rod receiver hole.
In another variant of this invention, each hooked-rod of the right side and the left side has a horizontal portion and an upright portion and are located within the plane of that side.
A variant of this invention is used to construct a laundry basket. The front side has a cantilevered, upwardly hooked-rod extending substantially perpendicularly rearward from its lower right and lower left corners. The hooked-rod has a horizontal section supporting a vertical section. The front side has a cantilevered, horizontal straight-rod extending substantially perpendicularly rearward from its upper right and upper left corners. The front side has at least one rod-receiving hole located along its upper edge. Each rod-receiving hole is vertically aligned and coplanar to the front side. The front side has at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along its lower edge. Each straight-rod-receiving hole is normal to the plane of the front side. The front side is planar.
The back-side has a cantilevered, upwardly hooked-rod extending substantially perpendicularly forward from its lower right and lower left corners. The hooked-rod has a horizontal section supporting a vertical section. The back-side has a cantilevered, horizontal straight-rod extending substantially perpendicularly forward from its upper right and upper left corners. The back-side has at least one rod-receiving hole located along its upper edge. Each rod-receiving hole is vertically aligned and coplanar to the back-side. The back-side has at least one straight-rod-receiving hole located along its lower edge. Each straight-rod-receiving hole is normal to the plane of the back-side. The back-side is planar.
The right side has a hooked-rod receiver vertically aligned in its lower front and lower rear corners. The hooked-rod receiver has a rounded notch edge to accept the horizontal portion of the hooked-rod. The right side has a horizontal straight-rodreceiving hole in its upper front and upper rear corners. The right side is planar. Each hooked-rod receiver and horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole lay within the plane of the right side.
The left side has a hooked-rod receiver vertically aligned in its lower front and lower rear corners. The hooked-rod receiver has a rounded notch edge to accept the horizontal portion of the hooked-rod. The left side has a horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole in its upper front and upper rear corners. The left side is planar. Each hooked-rod receiver and horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole lay within the plane of the left side.
The bottom has at least one cantilevered rod extending forward and substantially perpendicular to its front edge. The bottom has at least one cantilevered rod extending backward and substantially perpendicular to its back edge. The bottom is planar. Each cantilevered rod lays within the plane of the bottom.
Each of the bottom""s forward extending cantilevered rods are slideably connected into each straight-rod-receiving hole located along the lower edge of the front side. Likewise, each of the bottom""s backward extending cantilevered rods are slideably connected into each straight-rod-receiving hole located along the lower edge of the back-side.
The hooked-rod of the front side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the right side. The hooked-rod of the back-side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the right side. The cantilevered horizontal straight-rod of the front side is slideably connected into the horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole of the right side. The cantilevered straight-rod of the back-side is slideably connected into the horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole of the right side.
The hooked-rod of the front side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the left side. The hooked-rod of the back-side is hook-ably connected to the hooked-rod receiver of the left side. The horizontal cantilevered straight-rod of the front side is slideably connected into the horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole of the left side. The cantilevered horizontal straight-rod of the back-side is slideably connected into the horizontal straight-rod-receiving hole of the left side.
Each rod is slideably connected into the rod-receiving hole of the front side and the rod-receiving hole of the back-side.
In still another variation of this invention, a lid is interlocked by a hinge means to the upper edge of the back-side. The hinge means comprises a pair of outwardly cantilevered, hooked-rods. The hooked-rods are aligned in opposite directions towards each other on the lower edge of the lid. The lid and the hooked-rods are coplanar. A pair of hooked-rod, receiving tubes are horizontally located on the upper edge of the back-side. The hooked-rods are slideably connected into the hooked-rod-receiving tubes.
In yet another variant of this invention, the right side, the left side, the front side, the back-side and the bottom are fabricated from metal wire, whicker stretched over a metal wire frame, plastic, wood with plastic cantilevered rods or wood with metal cantilevered rods.
Another variant of this invention is used to construct a portable fireplace. The four sides are interlocked together by a first frame and a second frame. The four include a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side. Each side has a first substantially vertical edge and a second substantially vertical edge. The size and shape of the first frame and the second frame facilitates its removeable interlocking with each adjacent side and removeable interlocking to the bottom.
The first frame has a first substantially vertical support linked by at least one cross member to a second substantially vertical support. The second frame has a first substantially vertical support linked by at least one cross member to a second substantially vertical support. Each substantially vertical support has a first end, a second end, a front face, a back face and an inner face.
The bottom includes a plate removeably interlocked to a base. The plate serves as an ash and flame shield. The first frame and the second frame are removeably interlocked into the plate. The base has a plurality of legs.
The second side and the fourth side each have a first and a second horizontal, coplanar rod cantilevered outward from each substantially vertical edge. The first frame and the second frame have a pair of horizontal rod-receiving holes on the back face of each substantially vertical support. Each horizontal rod-receiving hole is substantially perpendicular to the plane of each frame. The second side is interlocked to the first substantially vertical support of the first frame and the second frame so that each first and second horizontal coplanar rod is installed into the corresponding pair of horizontal rod-receiving holes in each first substantially vertical support. The fourth side is interlocked to the second substantially vertical support of the first frame and the second frame so that each first and second horizontal coplanar rod is installed into the corresponding pair of horizontal rod-receiving holes in each second substantially vertical support.
A grill is placed upon the plate. The first end of each substantially vertical support has a flap. The plate has four slots sized, shaped and located to slideably receive the flap of each substantially vertical support.
A side is releasably interlocking into the first frame by a hinge means. The hinge means comprises a pair of outwardly cantilevered, hooked-rods extending downwards from the first substantially vertical edge of the first side and a pair of hooked rod-receiving tubes vertically located on the front face of the substantially vertical support.
The second frame has a means for releasably interlocking with the third side. Each substantially vertical support has at least one pivoting locking plate. The pivoting locking plate pivots on a rotation point. The third side is retained when the first substantially vertical edge is located against a cross member and the second substantially vertical edge is located against a cross member and each locking plate is pivoted into a horizontal position.
A fireplace lid is installed by interlocking it with the second end of each substantially vertical support.
The foregoing has outlined the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so the present contributions to the art may be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the present invention will be described hereinafter, which form the subject of the claims. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the disclosed specific embodiment may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures and methods for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It also should be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions and methods do not depart from the spirit and scope of the inventions as set forth in the appended claims.